SUMMER OF THE PATRIARCH. PATRIARCH
ALEXIS II DID NOT UNDERGO SECRET HEART OPERATIONS

by Elena Yakovleva
Rossiiskaia gazeta, 24 July 2004

"Alexis II did not undergo nor require an operation of an aortal
shunt." That is the official response of the Moscow patriarchate to
reports appearing in one newspaper that His Holiness received an
emergency operation in Germany of an aortal shunt under conditions of
strictest secrecy.

Believers learned that the patriarch was sick on Sunday, 18 July.
On that day, the commemoration of St. Sergius of Radonezh, His
Holiness usually serves the liturgy in the Saint Sergius Holy Trinity
lavra and a prayer service under the open sky. After the service and meal
people usually await his Holiness to receive a blessing. There are many
people since this is such a marvelous blessing and the patriarch has such
love in their eyes, so it is necessary for him following the meal to pass
through a human corridor.

This time the prayer service concluded with the reading of a letter
from the patriarch, greeting everyone on the holiday and explaining that
physicians had recommended that after his trip to Tikhvin he undergo a
diagnostic and therapeutic study. Believers knew about the intense
ministry of the patriarch this summer and they crossed themselves and
sang for him "Many years" on the cathedral square.

That the reports of a secret operation that appeared are false a
believing person could guess without expecting official confirmation on
the part of the patriarchate. Illness, much more a patriarch's illness,
never would be concealed from the flock because during illness believing
people place their hopes in nothing more than on prayer: "Pray for
one another that you may be healed." One cannot imagine even in a
movie thriller a patriarch concealing his illness from the church and
flock.

Here is how the director of the Communications Service of the
Moscow patriarchate, Viktor Malukhin, commented on this situation for
RG.

"In recent days separate Russian publications, and primarily
those whose information policies with regard to the Moscow patriarchate
were earlier publicly condemned by the Holy Synod as antichurch, produced
in various forms fantasies and speculative commentaries with regard to
the state of health of His Holiness Patriarch Alexis. Actually, in recent
months there occurred a series of grand church-state occasions and events
in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Tikhvin that required the personal and
active participation of the primate of our church. Such a colossal
workload could not but have an effect.

"Upon the recommendation of physicians, His Holiness was
advised to undergo a diagnostic and therapeutic regime and to refrain for
a time from his planned primatial visits to the dioceses.

"I can testify that in this case there is a temporary heart
arrhythmia produced by the extremely physical workload. This is a
phenomenon well known to a multitude of people. In this case an operation
of an aortal shunt was not required and thus was not performed.

"Now the state of health of His Holiness has stabilized. A
normal rhythm has been restored to his heart. At the present time His
Holiness is taking a short-term vacation, while continuing to direct the
preparations for the next session of the Holy Synod and the upcoming
autumn bishops' council, as well as for the ceremonial arrival in Russia
of the revered relics of the Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth and the
nun Barbara and for the Sarov Diveevo stage of the celebration of the
jubilee of St. Serafim. (tr. by PDS, posted 23 July 2004)

REPRESENTATIVES OF LEADERSHIP OF RPTsMP TRY TO EXPLAIN
CONTRADICTORY INFORMATION ABOUT PATRIARCH ALEXIS' STATE OF
HEALTH

Portal-credo.ru, 23 July 2004 - Representatives of the higher
leadership of RPTsMP were not able to provide "Portal-credo.ru"
on 22 July any definite information about the state of health of
Patriarch Alexis II of Moscow and all-Rus. According to various sources,
the head of RPTsMP, after undergoing heart surgery in Germany, will
undergo a regime of rehabilitative therapy at his own villa in
Switzerland or at the Central Clinical Hospital in Moscow.

Archpriest Vladimir Divakov, chancellor of the Moscow patriarchate,
told Portal's correspondent: "So far as I know, the patriarch's
state of health is satisfactory. I do not have other information at my
disposal."

Archbishop of Istria Arseny Epifanov, a vicar bishop of the
patriarch, responded rather guardedly to a question from a
Portal-credo.ru correspondent about His Holiness' condition following the
surgery: "What shunt operation? There was no such operation;
he wasn't cut open. Where did you get this? The patriarch was in the
hospital for treatment and now he has been transferred to a
rehabilitation center."

Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, vice-chairman of OVTsSMP, responded to
a question about how reliable is information about the aortal shunt
surgery performed on Patriarch Alexis II that this information does not
correspond to reality. Fr Vsevolod promised to distribute an official
commentary regarding the state of health of the head of RPTsMP through
the channel of the Communications Service of OVTsSMP.

Fr Vsevolod refrained from answering a question about where the
primate of the church is geographically located. "That is not quite
correct," he said. "A person, when he is resting or recovering,
has a right to 'privacy,' so that his location is not revealed. Any
person has a right to protection of his 'privacy.''" In complaining
that "Portal-credo.ru" spread reports to the effect that on 21
July it was impossible to reach Fr Vsevolod Chaplin by telephone, he
explained that "After all it was a holiday. You see, we had a
so-called day off, or more accurately a nonattendance day. You won't be
able to reach the government by phone on 7 November." (tr. by
PDS)
Posted on Portal-credo.ru site, 23 July 2004

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